The End of Planting Season at LaBagh

Do you like gardening but don’t have a garden? Do you like to spend time outdoors? Are you interested in creating habitat to support birds? We have the perfect opportunity for you!

COS’s LaBagh Woods restoration project has been ongoing since 2015, when the Forest Preserve District of Cook County allowed COS to build up the preserve’s understory after the invasive buckthorn that had taken over the site was removed. This work was needed to ensure a productive habitat for the 216 species of birds that live in or visit the site. 

Through triumphs and setbacks, a crew of dedicated volunteers have continued for nine years to protect, preserve, and improve LaBagh Woods and turn it into one of the premiere birding hotspots in Chicago and, more importantly, a safe haven for birds. 

This is where you come in. Help is greatly needed for our last shrub planting of the fall at LaBagh Woods on Sunday, October 8 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Volunteers need to put 58 native shrubs into the ground along the river and water and mulch them. 

Come and be a part of this unique understory restoration—over 4,500 native shrubs and understory trees have been planted at LaBagh in the past 9 years. It is all for the birds! We provide all the tools and equipment—we just need your willing hands and heart. No experience is necessary.  

To sign up, contact labaghvolunteers@gmail.com. Please let them know you heard about this opportunity from COS.